Local Editor
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has assured Yemen’s former president that the world body will remain impartial in efforts to resolve the country's conflict, rejecting accusations that its envoy was siding with the Houthi revolutionaries.
The pledge came in a letter from Guterres to former President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who had accused the UN special envoy to Yemen of impartiality.
"I would like to assure you that every effort will be made to maintain the impartial stance that is expected of the United Nations," while implementing a ceasefire agreement, Guterres said in the letter seen by AFP on Sunday.
In his own letter addressed to Guterres, Hadi accused envoy Martin Griffiths of "providing the Houthis with guarantees to stay in Hodeida and its ports under the umbrella of the UN".
"I can no longer accept these offences by your special envoy which threaten chances to find a (lasting) solution," Hadi said.
Hodeida is the main entry point for the bulk of Yemen's imports and humanitarian aid, providing a lifeline to millions of people.
Earlier this month the United Nations supervised the Houthis’ handing over of the ports of Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa to a "coast guard”.
The pullback is in line with a ceasefire deal for Hodeida reached in Stockholm in December.
Guterres said that he and Griffiths were prepared "to discuss the legitimate concerns” of the Hadi regime, “which we take very seriously."
Hadi forces -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- and the Houthi revolutionaries have been locked in a four-year war that has pushed the country to the brink of famine.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
The conflict has triggered what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis with more than two-thirds of the population in need of aid.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
